Pierre Chaunu
Encyclopedia
Pierre Chaunu was a French
historian. His specialty was Latin America
n history; he also studied French social and religious history of the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. A leading figure in French quantitative history
as the founder of "serial history", he was professor emeritus at Paris IV-Sorbonne, a member of the Institut de France
, and a commander of the Légion d'Honneur
. A convert to Protestantism
from Roman Catholicism, he defended his Gaullist views most notably in a longtime column in “Le Figaro
” and on Radio Courtoisie
.
, “on the outskirts of the battle of Verdun
” in his own words, and raised by his uncle and aunt, Pierre René Chaunu was deeply scarred by his own family tragedies, which explained the reasons for his conservatism. He was however a Republican and a Democratic, rejecting totally the far-right ideologies that were widespread during his youth. He became a strong supporter of general Charles de Gaulle
and of Gaullism
in the aftermath of World War II.
Pierre Chaunu taught in the lycée
of Bar-le-Duc
in 1947, where he was a professor of history. He was admitted to the École des hautes études hispaniques in 1948 and stayed in Madrid
and Seville
until 1951. Strongly influenced by Fernand Braudel
, who was his mentor, and the Annales School
(where he was secretary to Lucien Febvre
), Chaunu defended his dissertation on Séville et l’Atlantique in 1954. Nonetheless, Braudel denied him entry into the sixth section of the École practique des hautes études.
He was professor at the lycée at Vanves
(1951–1956), part-time lecturer at the faculté des lettres in Paris (1956), researcher at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), elected member of CNRS after 1957 and of the Comité consultant des universités, and in 1959 chargé d’enseignement
(assistant professor). In 1960, Chaunu became maitre de conferences
(associate professor) in 1960 and full professor in 1962 at the University of Caen Lower Normandy, where he founded the Centre de recherche d’histoire quantitative in 1966. He was named professor of modern history at Paris-Sorbonne University in 1970.
Beginning in 1976, he was a member of the Conseil économique et social’s section for the adaptation of research technique and for economic information, and from 1980 he was a member of the historical section of the Conseil scientifique of CNRS. In 1982, he was elected as a member of the historical and geographical section of the Académie des sciences morales et politiques. He became a member of the Haut conseil a l’intégration (High Council on Immigration) in 1994. From 1988 to 1990, he was president of the Fédération nationale des syndicats autonomes de l’enseighment supérieur.
Until 2005, he directed the weekly broadcast of “Les Mardis de la mémoire” on Radio Courtoisie
. From the early 1980s he had a column in “Le Figaro
.” Pierre Chaunu converted to Protestantism as an adult (having previously been a Roman Catholic). He was a lay preacher in the temple at Courseulles-sur-Mer
(Reformed Church of France
) and a committee member of the Société de l'Histoire du Protestantisme Français. He was also the father of six children, including the illustrator and cartoonist Emmanuel Chaunu (born in 1966). He was a commander of the Légion d’honneur.
and low birth rate
; hence the subtitle, “How can the suicide of the West be avoided?” In evoking the word “plague,” the historian very explicitly recalled the terrible epidemic that decimated the European population in the thirteenth century. He equally echoed the study of Latin America
that made his reputation: South America experienced a steep drop in population at the arrival of the Spanish. From 80 million, the population went to 10 million in the span of half a century. Thus, according to Chaunu, the demographic index became a prime indicator to understand the rise and fall of civilizations. The historian maintained that population growth could reverse itself rapidly, to the point of resulting in the phenomena of near-disappearance of some peoples.
, his studies of Latin America
, or the social and religious history of France during the Ancien Régime..
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
historian. His specialty was Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
n history; he also studied French social and religious history of the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. A leading figure in French quantitative history
Quantitative history
Quantitative History is an approach to historical research that makes use of quantitative, statistical and computer tools. It is considered a branch of social science history and has three leading journals: Historical Methods , Social Science History , and the Journal of Interdisciplinary History...
as the founder of "serial history", he was professor emeritus at Paris IV-Sorbonne, a member of the Institut de France
Institut de France
The Institut de France is a French learned society, grouping five académies, the most famous of which is the Académie française.The institute, located in Paris, manages approximately 1,000 foundations, as well as museums and chateaux open for visit. It also awards prizes and subsidies, which...
, and a commander of the Légion d'Honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
. A convert to Protestantism
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
from Roman Catholicism, he defended his Gaullist views most notably in a longtime column in “Le Figaro
Le Figaro
Le Figaro is a French daily newspaper founded in 1826 and published in Paris. It is one of three French newspapers of record, with Le Monde and Libération, and is the oldest newspaper in France. It is also the second-largest national newspaper in France after Le Parisien and before Le Monde, but...
” and on Radio Courtoisie
Radio Courtoisie
Radio Courtoisie is a French radio station and cultural associative union created in 1987 by Jean Ferré. Serge de Beketch was also among its founders....
.
Biography
A native of Belleville-sur-MeuseBelleville-sur-Meuse
Belleville-sur-Meuse is a commune in the Meuse department in the Lorraine region in north-eastern France.-See also:*Communes of the Meuse department...
, “on the outskirts of the battle of Verdun
Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun was one of the major battles during the First World War on the Western Front. It was fought between the German and French armies, from 21 February – 18 December 1916, on hilly terrain north of the city of Verdun-sur-Meuse in north-eastern France...
” in his own words, and raised by his uncle and aunt, Pierre René Chaunu was deeply scarred by his own family tragedies, which explained the reasons for his conservatism. He was however a Republican and a Democratic, rejecting totally the far-right ideologies that were widespread during his youth. He became a strong supporter of general Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
and of Gaullism
Gaullism
Gaullism is a French political ideology based on the thought and action of Resistance leader then president Charles de Gaulle.-Foreign policy:...
in the aftermath of World War II.
Pierre Chaunu taught in the lycée
Secondary education in France
In France, secondary education is in two stages:* collèges cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 14...
of Bar-le-Duc
Bar-le-Duc
Bar-le-Duc, formerly known as Bar, is a commune in the Meuse département, of which it is the préfecture . The department is in Lorraine in north-eastern France-Geography:...
in 1947, where he was a professor of history. He was admitted to the École des hautes études hispaniques in 1948 and stayed in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
and Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
until 1951. Strongly influenced by Fernand Braudel
Fernand Braudel
Fernand Braudel was a French historian and a leader of the Annales School. His scholarship focused on three main projects, each representing several decades of intense study: The Mediterranean , Civilization and Capitalism , and the unfinished Identity of France...
, who was his mentor, and the Annales School
Annales School
The Annales School is a group of historians associated with a style of historiography developed by French historians in the 20th century. It is named after its scholarly journal Annales d'histoire économique et sociale, which remains the main source of scholarship, along with many books and...
(where he was secretary to Lucien Febvre
Lucien Febvre
Lucien Febvre was a French historian best known for the role he played in establishing the Annales School of history. He has designed the Encyclopédie française together with Anatole de Monzie.-Biography:...
), Chaunu defended his dissertation on Séville et l’Atlantique in 1954. Nonetheless, Braudel denied him entry into the sixth section of the École practique des hautes études.
He was professor at the lycée at Vanves
Vanves
Vanves is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe and the tenth in France -History:...
(1951–1956), part-time lecturer at the faculté des lettres in Paris (1956), researcher at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), elected member of CNRS after 1957 and of the Comité consultant des universités, and in 1959 chargé d’enseignement
Academic rank in France
The following summarizes basic academic ranks in the French higher education system:-State university system:* PU equivalent to Full Professor)...
(assistant professor). In 1960, Chaunu became maitre de conferences
Academic rank in France
The following summarizes basic academic ranks in the French higher education system:-State university system:* PU equivalent to Full Professor)...
(associate professor) in 1960 and full professor in 1962 at the University of Caen Lower Normandy, where he founded the Centre de recherche d’histoire quantitative in 1966. He was named professor of modern history at Paris-Sorbonne University in 1970.
Beginning in 1976, he was a member of the Conseil économique et social’s section for the adaptation of research technique and for economic information, and from 1980 he was a member of the historical section of the Conseil scientifique of CNRS. In 1982, he was elected as a member of the historical and geographical section of the Académie des sciences morales et politiques. He became a member of the Haut conseil a l’intégration (High Council on Immigration) in 1994. From 1988 to 1990, he was president of the Fédération nationale des syndicats autonomes de l’enseighment supérieur.
Until 2005, he directed the weekly broadcast of “Les Mardis de la mémoire” on Radio Courtoisie
Radio Courtoisie
Radio Courtoisie is a French radio station and cultural associative union created in 1987 by Jean Ferré. Serge de Beketch was also among its founders....
. From the early 1980s he had a column in “Le Figaro
Le Figaro
Le Figaro is a French daily newspaper founded in 1826 and published in Paris. It is one of three French newspapers of record, with Le Monde and Libération, and is the oldest newspaper in France. It is also the second-largest national newspaper in France after Le Parisien and before Le Monde, but...
.” Pierre Chaunu converted to Protestantism as an adult (having previously been a Roman Catholic). He was a lay preacher in the temple at Courseulles-sur-Mer
Courseulles-sur-Mer
Courseulles-sur-Mer is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.It is a popular tourist destination not only with locals but also with international visitors who come to tour the Normandy landing beaches...
(Reformed Church of France
Reformed Church of France
The Reformed Church of France is a denomination in France with Calvinist origins. It is the original and largest Protestant denomination in France....
) and a committee member of the Société de l'Histoire du Protestantisme Français. He was also the father of six children, including the illustrator and cartoonist Emmanuel Chaunu (born in 1966). He was a commander of the Légion d’honneur.
Works
The central thesis of several of his works, including “La Peste blanche”, is that the contemporary West is committing suicide because of demographic declineHistorical demography
Historical demography is the quantitative study of human population in the past. It is concerned both with the three basic components of population change--fertility, mortality, and migration--and with population characteristics related to those components, such as marriage, socioeconomic status,...
and low birth rate
Sub-replacement fertility
Sub-replacement fertility is a total fertility rate that leads to each new generation being less populous than the previous one in a given area. In developed countries sub-replacement fertility is any rate below approximately 2.1 children born per woman, but the threshold can be as high as 3.4...
; hence the subtitle, “How can the suicide of the West be avoided?” In evoking the word “plague,” the historian very explicitly recalled the terrible epidemic that decimated the European population in the thirteenth century. He equally echoed the study of Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
that made his reputation: South America experienced a steep drop in population at the arrival of the Spanish. From 80 million, the population went to 10 million in the span of half a century. Thus, according to Chaunu, the demographic index became a prime indicator to understand the rise and fall of civilizations. The historian maintained that population growth could reverse itself rapidly, to the point of resulting in the phenomena of near-disappearance of some peoples.
Influence
Chaunu had an important impact on historiography, whether with regard to quantitative historyQuantitative history
Quantitative History is an approach to historical research that makes use of quantitative, statistical and computer tools. It is considered a branch of social science history and has three leading journals: Historical Methods , Social Science History , and the Journal of Interdisciplinary History...
, his studies of Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, or the social and religious history of France during the Ancien Régime..
Books
- Histoire de l'Amérique latine, Paris, PUF, "Que sais-je?", 1949. Réédition en 2009.
- Séville et l'Atlantique (1504–1650), Paris, SEVPEN, 12 volumes, 1955-1960. (Prix de Loubat, 1962).
- Les Philippines et le Pacifique des Ibériques, Paris, SEVPEN, 2 volumes, 1960-1966.
- L'Amérique et les Amériques de la préhistoire à nos jours, Paris, Armand Colin, 1964.
- La Civilisation de l'Europe classique, Paris, Arthaud, 1966.
- L'Expansion européenne du XIIIe et XVe siècles, Paris, PUF, 1969. (English translation European expansion in the later Middle Ages, Amsterdam, North Holland Publishing.)
- Conquête et exploitation des nouveaux mondes, Paris, PUF, 1969.
- La Civilisation de l'Europe des Lumières, Paris, Arthaud, 1971.
- L'Espagne de Charles Quint, Paris, SEDES, 2 volumes, 1973.
- Démographie historique et système de civilisation, Rome, EFR, 1974.
- Histoire, science sociale, Paris, SEDES, 1974.
- Le Temps des Réformes, Paris, Fayard, 1975.
- De l'histoire à la prospective, Paris, Robert Laffont, 1975.
- Les Amériques, XVIe et XVIIIe siècles, Paris, Armand Colin, 1976.
- La peste blanche (with Georges Suffert), Paris, Gallimard, 1976.
- Séville et l'Amérique aux XVIe et XVIIe siècles, Paris, Flammarion, 1977.
- La Mort à Paris (XVIe et XVIIe siècles, Paris, Fayard, 1978.
- Histoire quantitative, histoire sérielle, Paris, Armand Colin, 1978.
- Le sursis, Paris, Robert Laffont, 1978
- La France ridée,Paris, Pluriel, 1979
- Un futur sans avenir, Histoire et population, Calmann-Lévy,1979
- Histoire et imagination. La transition, Paris, PUF, 1980.
- Église, culture et société. Réforme et Contre-Réforme (1517–1620), Paris, SEDES, 1980.
- Histoire et décadence, Paris, Perrin, 1981. (Grand Prix Goubert, 1982)
- La France, Paris, Robert Laffont, 1982.
- Pour l'histoire, Paris, Perrin, 1984.
- L'Aventure de la Réforme. Le monde de Jean Calvin, Paris, Desclée de Brouwer, 1986. (English translation, The Reformation, Gloucester, Sutton.)
- Apologie par l'histoire, Paris, Œil, 1988.
- Le Grand Déclassement, Paris, Robert Laffont, 1989.
- Reflets et miroir de l'histoire, Economica, Paris, 1990
- Histoire économique et sociale de la France. Tome 1, 1450-1660, (with Ernest LabrousseErnest LabrousseCamille-Ernest Labrousse was a French historian specializing in social and economic history.Labrousse established a historical model centered on three nodes—economic, social and cultural—inventing the quantitative history sometimes now called "cliometrics"...
) PUF, "Quadrige", 1993. - Colomb ou la logique de l'imprévisible, Paris, F. Bourin, 1993.
- Baptême de Clovis, baptême de la France, (in collaboration), Paris, Balland, 1996.
- Le Basculement religieux de Paris au XVIIIe siècle, (in collaboration), Paris, Fayard, 1998.
- Charles Quint, (with Michèle Escamilla), Paris, Fayard, 2000.
- La femme et Dieu, (with Jacques Renard), Paris, Fayard, 2001
- Essai de prospective démographique, (with Huguette Chaunu and Jacques Renard), Paris, Fayard, 2003
- Des curés aux entrepreneurs: la Vendée au XXe siècle, Centre Vendéen de Recherches Historiques, 2004.
- Le livre noir de la Révolution française, Cerf, 2008
Article
- « La philosophie et l'histoire », (with Roger Arnaldez) in Jean-François MattéiJean-François MattéiJean-François Mattéi, born 9 March 1941 in Oran, Algeria, is a French philosopher.-External links:...
, Le Discours philosophique, volume IV of the Encyclopédie philosophique universelle, Paris, PUF, 1998.